Valhalla
by AonoRunic
Summary: Thor has worked hard to make his restaurant, Valhalla, successful. But on the night when an important critic is set to visit, Thor has to find a replacement chef, which leads him to Loki, which leads to the start of his whole world doing flip flops. Bar AU. Part I if "We Do Not Work At a Strip Club" Series


I have wanted to do this for awhile, and now the first part of the series is finally done. Originally there were going to be five one shots, but that was before I decided to add Sleipnir, so there may be more now. It really all depends on if people like this.

I want to give all my thanks and love to marty-mc for letting me rant to her about this series. I probably wouldn't have finished this first one without her support. Credit for the series title and the 'stripper club' line also go to her.

/

"Thor, she can't work like this. If she handles the food and someone gets sick, our rating will be in the toilet anyways." Jane tries to protest, but Sif cuts her off with a harsh look.

Sif is right. Thor knew he couldn't let Jane cook the second he saw her. Jane is making a valiant effort, but the fact remains that she is on the verge of collapse. Thor sighs in defeat and nods. "Alright, Sif, you'll take Jane home."

"But I can't just leave you without a cook! Food is a third of the Zagat rating!" Jane protests, Thor barely making the words out through the nasally tone she's taken on.

"Well, with Hogun out of town, unless you know anyone free at the last minute who can make decent food, we haven't really got any other choice than to let Darcy take control of the kitchen." Darcy knows what she's doing, when she actually stops messing around and does it, but she and Ian are only prep cooks. They've never handled the responsibility of the entire kitchen before, and Thor would prefer tonight not to be Darcy's test run.

Thor tries not to show how crestfallen he is. He has worked hard to makeValhalla a success. The bar is his life and home. A good Zagat rating could really put them on the map. A bad rating from such a respected critic would drive away a lot of business, leaving Valhalla to flounder in the deep end.

Jane hesitates for a second, but Thor sees it in her eyes. He can't help himself from perking back up. "You do know someone!"

"Yeah," Jane answers reluctantly. "He's not exactly the guy you go to in a crisis though." She holds up her hand to cut Thor off. "I'll call him anyway."

Thor waits with baited breath as Jane makes the phone call. Heimdall, his general manager, shoots him a look that tells him to calm down when Thor begins rocking back and forth on his heels in anticipation. When Jane gives whoever is on the other end of the line the bar's address, Thor knows they've averted one crisis. He has to hold himself back from letting loose a shout of triumph.

Jane ends the call, and stares into space for a minute. "I can't believe he actually agreed."

"And now onto the next disaster," Fandral says with a grin. Thor really hopes there won't be another disaster, but one thing he has learned in the restaurant business is that there always is.

"Let's get you home," Sif says as she helps Jane stand.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Jane leans heavily on Sif's shoulder, her eyes drooping closed, before suddenly flashing open again. "Thor, Loki is good at what he does, but he's not exactly the nicest person out there. Just be patient with him."

"It's only for one night," Thor tells her. "We'll manage. You just get yourself feeling better."

/

Thor, Volstagg, and Fandral are just about finished making sure the front of the restaurant is taken care of, despite Darcy 'helping' as well when she is supposed to be in the kitchen helping Ian, when Heimdall lets in a pale, lanky man with dark hair, and stunning green eyes. He scans the small space critically while giving a little hum of disapproval. "Not what I was expecting."

Thor knows two things immediately; one, Jane was right, and Loki is definitely going to test his patience; and two, Loki is absolutely gorgeous, and Thor would like nothing better than to see the length of that pale skin sprawled out over his sheets. "And what were you expecting?" Thor asks, feeling he should be cautious in his search for an answer.

"A gentlemen's club," Loki answers bluntly, turning those striking eyes at Thor. "An 'I'll take you to heaven,' type place. Anyways," Loki continues with a dramatic sigh before anyone can tell him off, "show me to what you are calling a kitchen. Let's get this night over with."

"This way." Heimdall motions for Loki to follow him, getting Loki away from the rest of the staff before someone can say something stupid and send their only chance for a good rating out the door.

"I don't like him," Darcy says the minute they disappear down the short hallway separating the front from the kitchen.

"I know." Thor feels anger threatening to boil over, but underneath all that, he is somewhat amused. Anyone coming into his restaurant and insulting it, is not something Thor is going to stand for. But that spark in Loki's eyes, as if challenging Thor to correct him, to start a fight. Thor finds it exciting, exhilarating, a need to latch on and see where Loki drags him. He doesn't want to tame, far from it, he wants to touch that brief flick of wildness he saw in Loki.

Thor shakes his head, mentally trying to refocus on the task at hand. "Alright, let's get back to work. Shoo." He waves his hands at Darcy, who is whining at having to go into the kitchen which is now Loki's domain, sends Volstagg to check on the alcohol for the fifth time, and has Fandral call Sif to make sure she is on her way back.

/

The night is a complete success. By the time Thor comes out to talk to the reviewers, the worry he felt earlier in the night has vanished. Sif has charmed them, and there is laughter constantly coming from their table. Fandral is busy taking care of the other customers, so no one goes neglected. Volstagg is in top form mixing drinks at the bar. (Currently, he, one of the reviewers, and another customer, are all acting the proud father, involved in a lively discussion about their children.)

And the food! Thor cannot believe how much they lucked out with Loki. He hasn't tasted the food himself, but as Thor does his usual rounds, talking to the guests and making sure everyone is happy, he's has received numerous compliments, most gratifyingly from the reviewers. It's simple bar food, wings and burgers, but Loki must be doing something right with them because there hasn't been a single complaint all night.

When the door closes behind the last patron, Thor can't stop smiling.

"We did it!" Darcy shouts gleefully, throwing her arms around Fandral and nearly bowling him over.

Something cold hits his arm, causing Thor to look down to see Sif holding out a beer to him. "I think we all deserve a good job celebratory drink."

"I would happen to concur with you," Thor agrees, taking the beer from her. He holds the bottle out as Volstagg passes out more bottles to everyone, and declares loudly, "To Valhalla's continued success! Cheers!"

A cry goes up from the staff as the bottles clink together. Thor laughs as he's patted on the back, and takes two more bottles from Volstagg. "We should all be here," Thor says when Sif protests his heading for the hallway. "I'll be right back."

Thor practically skips down the small hallways and past his office on his journey to get to the kitchen. When he enters, Loki's head immediately snaps up to glare at him. "No, no celebration until the job is done."

Thor looks around and notices that Loki and Ian are both still busy cleaning up the kitchen. "Darcy!" Thor shouts. He hears an 'eep!' and the crash of a beer bottle against the floor before Darcy comes running.

"Yeah, Boss?" she asks, trying to look innocent.

"What have I told you about cleaning the kitchen?"

"It's part of my job," Darcy answers, shoulders slumping.

"Then get to it." Thor likes Darcy, she's fun, and she works well with Jane, but he really has to fight to get her to clean at the end of the night.

"Yes, sir."

"We've got burgers for everyone, Boss," Ian calls from where he's washing dishes at the sink. He nods his head towards a counter where six burgers are waiting.

Thor's stomach gives a loud growl, making him realize just how hungry he is. He grabs a plate and motions for Loki to follow him. "Let's get your payment settled real fast," he says as he exits the kitchen. "Food!" he calls down the hall to the rest of the staff as he opens the door to his office, ushering Loki inside.

Thor takes a bite of his burger as he drops into his chair, groaning loudly at the wonderful flavors that invade his mouth. "Okay, this might be the best burger I've ever had."

Loki scoffs, leaning back against the shut door. The office isn't big enough for Thor to fit another chair in. The office has two low sitting counters running along two walls, Thor's computer sitting in the corner where they meet. The rest of the counter space is taken up by stacks of papers and an old printer. An old file cabinet takes up the rest of the remaining space.

"Most likely it is the best burger you've ever had."

"Very humble," Thor says with a laugh. He's not going to counter Loki, because the burger really is amazing. Thor pulls out the checkbook for the restaurant, scans the check into the computer, and marks it in the account book before handing it over to Loki.

"You know," Thor says as Loki reaches for the check, knowing he's being impulsive, "you'd be a good fit here."

Loki throws his head back and laughs. "Really? Me? I knew you looked like an idiot, but I was hoping you weren't actually one."

Thor leans back in his chair. A few years ago he would have snapped at Loki for that insult, but now, he knows better than to rise to the bait. "You're food is great. You're professional, and we need another chef. I'd be an idiot only if I let you slip away."

"I have a job already at one of the finest restaurants in the city. Why would I leave it for you?"

"Because I'm cute." Loki glowers at him, but there's a spark in his eyes that makes Thor smile. "I've worked at those stuffy places before. There's a hierarchy, and you only move up if you're lucky. With as talented as you are, you could easily have your own restaurant."

"Restaurants costs money," Loki counters.

"And you could just as easily find an investor."

"Are you offering?" Loki snaps. The amusement is gone, and Thor can tell he's struck a nerve somewhere.

"At the moment, no. Valhalla has been open for a year, and I'd like some more stability before I look into expansion. But I wouldn't say it's an impossibility for the future."

"I'm not going to sleep with you."

Thor blinks, a bit thrown at the sudden shift. He has definitely thought about it, Loki is extremely beautiful after all, and that attraction is one of the reasons he's offering Loki a job in the first place, but it still caught him off guard. "That's sad, but it doesn't cause me to take the offer off the table."

Loki studies him for a long moment before his eyes drop down to the check. He runs his fingers over the paper and shakes his head. "I'd be taking a serious pay decrease."

"So what else do you want?" Loki is actually considering taking the job, Thor can feel it.

Loki's head snaps back up, a determined look in his eyes. "I don't come in until four."

"We open at five, I can't do that. I need you here earlier for prep." Thor pauses for a minute before offering up, "Darcy and Ian could handle a little more responsibility. You and Jane come in early for some training, they can get prep started from now on. And you come in at three. Everyone works Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but gets two days off. Jane has Wednesday and Thursday off, so you'd get Monday and Tuesday to yourself."

Loki takes a deep breath. His hands shake for a second; he tries to cover it up, but Thor still catches it. Apparently Thor has struck a larger nerve than he thought.

"I need to think about it," Loki finally answers. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Thor stands and offers a hand to Loki. Loki's hands are surprisingly soft for someone who works with them all day, but there are little pink scars from knife cuts. "Thanks for the help tonight. And anytime you want to stop by, it's on the house."

Loki snorts, but his lips are fighting not to turn up into a smile. The tension is gone, replaced by the mischief Thor had seen earlier this evening. "The only way I'll be back is if I'm desperate enough to accept your offer."

/

"How is he?" Loki whispers as he steps into the silent house.

"Sleeping," Fárbauti answers, taking Loki's coat and completely ignoring his brief protest.

"Is he upset?"

"A bit." The thin set line of Fárbauti's mouth tells Loki it's more than just 'a bit.' "Come." His mother redirects him towards the kitchen. "You're father made you some food. You haven't eaten, have you? You always forget to," she adds without waiting for Loki to answer.

Fárbauti pulls a bowl out of the fridge and pops it into the microwave. Loki winces slightly at the loud noise of the microwave door shutting, hoping it doesn't wake anyone. Thirty years of being raised by her, and Loki knows better than to protest with Fárbauti.

"I was offered a job tonight," Loki tells her.

Fárbauti is an unshakable woman, nothing destroys her calm. Even so, the issue of work has always had some tension in their family. Fárbauti pauses long enough that the timer on the microwave goes off, beeping throughout the house. "Are you going to take it?" she asks, opening the microwave and setting the soup down in front of Loki.

"I don't know. I…I'm thinking about it. I'd be making less money, but I'd have more time to spend with Sleipnir. I miss him," Loki admits.

"Take it."

Loki drops his spoon and curses under his breath as Laufey pulls out a chair and joins him at the kitchen counter. Laufey has always been able to sneak up behind Loki, and it really bothers Loki. "So eager to get rid of me?" Loki sneers. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Fárbauti shake her head.

"Think of it as preventative action," Laufey answers in his usual gravelly voice, an indication that he too has been up all night waiting for Loki to come for his son. "If we continue working together, sooner or later something is going to give, and you're going to burn down my restaurant."

"Explosions are much more fun," Loki counters.

"Loki!" Fárbauti hisses in exasperation, but it isn't anything she hasn't heard before.

"Exactly," Laufey continues. "I gave you a job after Sleipnir was born because I wanted you to be able to provide him with a good life. If you think taking this job is better for him, then do it. I'm not going to resent you moving on with your life after five years."

Loki stirs his spoon around the bowl, no longer feeling hungry. "There's a problem."

"And that would be?" Fárbauti prompts when Loki doesn't continue.

"Valhalla doesn't close until 3a.m."

"When do you have to go in?"

"3p.m. Sigyn can watch him on the days she has off, but I can't ask her to let him spend the night."

"Then bring him here." Fárbauti reaches out to place a hand over Loki's. "Darling, we love you, and we love our grandson. You can pick him up from school and drop him off here before you go in. I'll take him to school in the morning. Problem solved."

Loki looks to Laufey, who nods his agreement, before squeezing his mother's hand. "Alright, so it can work, but I want to talk to Sleipnir before I make a decision. I don't want to wake him, so I'll be back in a few hours to pick him up."

"You will not," Fárbauti protests. "It's four in the morning. You'll stay in the guest room. Now, eat," she orders. "I'll go get you some blankets."

/

Loki wakes to a small bundle worming its way into his bed. He wraps his arms around it and draws it close. Sleipnir giggles when Loki kisses the top of his head, and hugs Loki. "Mumma."

"Mumma is tired. Back to sleep, baby."

"Noooo!" Sleipnir squirms out of Loki's grip, patting his hands all over Loki's face. "Up, Mumma, up! Hungry!"

"Oh, alright." Loki wraps his arms around Sleipnir again and slides out of bed, keeping the blankets around both of them and dragging them behind. Sleipnir giggles again and throws himself back, relying on Loki to keep him from falling. "I have something I need to talk to you about, Sleip."

"Whaaaaat?" Sleipnir asks, the word broken up as he laughs at the whole world being upside down, his dark hair flapping around with each step Loki takes.

"Mumma got offered a new job last night. If I took it, I wouldn't be able to buy you as many toys, or take you to as many nice places, but I'd have more time to spend with you."

Sleipnir immediately shoots back up, his green eyes wide and eager. "I will see Mumma more?"

"Yes." Loki blinks his eyes to hold back tears. It has always hurt him that there are days when the only time he sees Sleipnir is the hour it takes to get him ready for school. Getting home after Sleipnir has been tucked in and fallen asleep always makes Loki feel like a bad parent. If he accepts Thor's offer, Loki still wouldn't be putting his son to bed every night, but he would at least get a few hours to spend with Sleipnir after he got out of his kindergarten class. "Do you think Mumma should take it?"

"Yes!" Sleipnir shouts, bouncing in Loki's arms. "Yesyesyesyesyes! Take it, Mumma!"

Loki laughs, kisses Sleipnir's temple, and holds him tighter. "Alright, stop that or else Mumma is going to drop you. You've gotten heavy.

"Now," Loki says matter-of-factly as he readjusts his grip on Sleipnir, "what do you want for breakfast?"

"French toast!"

/

Thor rolls his chair across the office when his personal cell phone goes off. He doesn't recognize the number, but that doesn't stop him from picking up and answering with a cheerful, "Good morning!"

"That tone is absolutely despicable for so early in the morning," Loki's grumpy voice answers.

Thor laughs, his mood immediately brighter. "It's almost the afternoon, so most of society would find that this is a perfectly acceptable tone."

"Ugh."

"So," Thor drawls out, getting to the business at hand, "made your choice?" He finds himself feeling surprisingly confident, although the seconds of silence seem to stretch on forever.

Loki sighs melodramatically, but it immediately makes Thor perk up. "When do I start?"


End file.
